Ordinary diners who take part in our annual survey each spring review restaurants and leave their feedback, but we also ask them to score restaurants from 1-5 on food, service and ambience. Harden’s then uses an average of these scores and measures them against other establishments in the same price bracket to arrive at the ratings published in the guide and online.

Snippets from some of your feedback may end up in the overall Harden’s review, noticeably they appear in “double quotation marks”. The rest of our pithy, bite-sized restaurant summaries are compiled by analysing the survey data and extracting recurring themes, looking at whether or not a venue was nominated in any of our categories – like ‘favourite’ or ‘most overpriced’ – and, of course, looking at the ratings for food, service and ambience.

The Harden’s ratings indicate that a restaurant is:

exceptional very good good average poor

All reviews are compiled from survey comments and ratings, without any regard for our own personal opinions, except in cases where restaurants are too new to have been included in the survey. If you want the editors’ view on new restaurants in London you can find them in our Editors’ Review section.

The Harrow at Little Bedwyn

British, Modern restaurant in Marlborough

Harden's
survey result

Summary

“A beautiful selection of wines complement the cuisine” at Sue & Roger’s “converted pub in the middle of nowhere” (he is a well-known wine expert), but the “glorious” cooking is far from incidental and the whole set-up has a “lovely, very welcoming and friendly atmosphere”. Why Michelin decided to take their star away in October 2018 is anyone’s guess, but is not borne out to any extent by the “brilliant” rep it receives in our diners’ survey. Top Tip: “the food and wine pairing events, which showcase Roger’s skills with some standout pairings”.

Price

£92

££££

Food

5

Exceptional

Service

5

Exceptional

Ambience

4

Very Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“Sue and Roger Jones deliver amazing food” at their famous converted inn, set in the middle of nowhere, and “Roger’s creative pairings with the wine make for simply marvellous meals” (his cellar is famously well-stocked). Perhaps, though, “where it really has the edge is the pure enthusiasm of its staff: instead of feeling like an elitist gourmet restaurant, it feels like you are chatting with friends over an outstanding meal”.

Price

£76

££££

Food

5

Exceptional

Service

5

Exceptional

Ambience

4

Very Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“Sue & Roger Jones have created a stunning restaurant with some of the very best food in the country”, at this converted inn, located “in the middle of nowhere but well worth seeking out”. Roger is well-known for his knowledge of wine, which evidences itself in a “fabulous” and “unexpectedly wide range of excellent and well-priced wines”. All this plus “spot-on service”.

Price

£78

££££

Food

5

Exceptional

Service

5

Exceptional

Ambience

4

Very Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“I’m not sure how it is possible to pop so much flavour into every dish but Roger Jones does it every time!” at his and wife Sue’s “warmly welcoming foodie paradise in the middle of nowhere”. A rival attraction to the fine cuisine is the “amazing wine list, with fabulous bins from the New World in particular”.

Price

£78

££££

Food

5

Exceptional

Service

5

Exceptional

Ambience

4

Very Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

For 28 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. This year diners have submitted over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK.

Have you eaten at The Harrow at Little Bedwyn?

Owner's description

The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, owned and run by Sue and Roger Jones, celebrated its 20th anniversary at Christmas 2018. It received its first Michelin Star in 2006 and has retained the Star every year since. As well as receiving worldwide accolades for its food, The Harrow has also been critically acclaimed for its 900 bin Wine List. Today Roger is very much involved in the Wine Press and Trade both writing and judging for renown institutions such as Decanter, Harpers, The Caterer and The-Buyer.net

The kitchen sources from the whole of the U.K. buying Day Boat fish from Cornwall and Devon, Diver Caught Scallops from Orkney, Live Lobsters from Little Haven, Live Crabs from Torbay, Wild Salmon from Scotland and Wales. Beef from pure bred Welsh Black as well as Shorthorn and Hereford. Lamb are from the West Wales coastline, Pork from Oxfordshire and Game from Yorkshire, Scotland and Wiltshire.